1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rain-gutter cleaners, and more particularly to pole mounted devices that allow an operator to remain on the ground even when cleaning a rain gutter high overhead.
2. Description of Related Art
A roof can shed large amounts of rainwater during a storm, and the collected volume of water at the height of a typical roof can do a lot of damage if it's allowed to crash to the ground uncontrolled. So rain gutters have been used for centuries to catch the water at the eaves and channel it to a downspout.
Unfortunately, these gutters also catch leaves and other debris that can clog the gutter and prevent the downspouts from functioning. The present inventor, Ira George Hall, answered this problem with U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,782 (Hall '782), issued Feb. 13, 2001.
The most direct way to clean out rain gutters is to go up on the roof and use a small scoop or hands to clean out the build-up. But working so close to the edge of a roof can be very dangerous. Working from ladders is a little better, but ladders are not completely safe either. Ladders are also awkward to move about and position, and some spots along the rain gutter cannot be reached by ladder.
The rain-gutter cleaning system described in Hall '782 uses an agitator head mounted on the distal end of a long pole. A vacuum pump on the ground is connected to the agitator head with a long suction tube. A set of paddles mounted to a rotating drum slap against any debris in the bottom of a rain gutter. The vacuum and the paddles lift the debris up into an auger screw that forces the material into the suction tube and then down to the ground where it can be disposed of.
Experience is now showing that such an auger screw requires too large an enclosure volume, and the screw itself can get clogged with wet debris. The usual debris in rain gutters can include twigs and small branches, and compacted materials that are hard to break up and remove. Each ounce of weight that can be saved in the construction of the agitator head can lead to better mobility and reduced operator fatigue. And a more compact housing would make it easier to maneuver through tree branches overhanging the eaves. So what is needed is a rain gutter vacuuming system that weighs less and does a better job of breaking up even compacted debris.